Board, bike man can get your 2-wheeler's motor runnin'

To Brian Rahmatulla, the best solution to a problem is generally the simplest and most direct way. The owner of Coolbreaze Surfboards and Mob Custom Cruisers in San Clemente realized he had too many bicycles, so for fun he took three extra ones and made a new one – a reverse trike with two wheels in the front and one in the back. It has a small two-stroke motor on it as well.

Rahmatulla's business is a combination of sorts. He started with surfboard ding repair, buying the business from his former employer.

When he lost his driver's license (he doesn't want to divulge how), he rigged a small motor to his bicycle and was mobile again. In those days, it was legal to ride a motorized bike without a license. Now some types require a motorcycle license.

"I made the first one so I could get around, and then so many people started asking about them, I started making and selling them." Rahmatulla said.

Rahmatulla builds several dozen motorized bikes on order each year, selling them for about $600 each. It takes him about three days to fill an order, as long as you don't care what color you get – and especially as long as it's not pink. "Pink is really hard to get, almost impossible," Rahmatulla said.

All bikes come with a six-month warranty.

The law says you have to be at least 16 and wear a Department of Transportation-approved helmet when operating a motorized bike. For bikes that can go faster than 20 mph, a valid M2 California motorcycle license also is required.

The bikes enable you to cruise with the wind in your hair for about 120 miles to a gallon (they have half-gallon tanks offering a range of about 60 miles). But top speed is about 30 mph, so you won't be taking your bike on the freeway.

"Most of my customers are people who can't drive a car or can't afford a car," Rahmatulla said, "or people who just want to keep it simple."

Rahmatulla says you can order a motor online and install it yourself, though he says he has collected plenty of work from clients' attempts to do so. He says he can put bikes together so they are better on flats or hills, depending on what a client wants or needs.

He says he's waiting on deal where he'll be putting a couple hundred of his two-wheeled creations in a container and shipping them to France.

"Through some friends I hooked up with some guys over there who want to sell them, so I sent them three 'mobs' to try out and it worked out well," Rahmatulla said. "So I should be hearing back pretty soon to see what the order will be and start making some bikes."

Q&A WITH OWNER BRIAN RAHMATULLA

Q. What is the best thing about owning your business?

A. I am my own boss, so I can make my own hours. I can surf when I want to.

Q. What has been the most challenging aspect?

A. I need more swell in February and March so people are breaking their boards. It's hard to pay all the bills in those months.

Q. What trends do you see in motorized bicycles and ding repair?

A. There is more and more regulation on what you can do or what you have to have to ride your motorized bike.

Q. What advice do you have for anyone starting a business?

A. Stay strong and get into the community ... and don't be afraid to give things away for a good cause.